Despite not quite having control of his game, Rory McIlroy insists he is loving golf at the moment and embracing the challenge of getting back on top form.
McIlroy shot a four-under-par round of 67 at Harbour Town Links in the first round of the RBC Heritage despite not having his best stuff – which is a welcome return after a disappointing T22 finish at The Masters.
The Northern Irishman said at Augusta National that he was enjoying his golf, and despite the obvious disappointment at missing out on the Green Jacket again, that still holds true.
McIlroy says the challenge of trying to get fully in control of his full game, which he’ll need if he’s to try and match Scottie Scheffler, is something he’s embracing.
“I think the challenge more than anything else,” McIlroy said of why he’s still enjoying his golf. “Don't feel like I'm quite on top of my game. But I'm determined to sort of get on top of it.
“Yeah, I'm liking the challenge at the minute and liking trying to figure it out.”
Playing partner Ludvig Aberg was just a shot better than McIlroy in his first round, but looked a bit more in control of his shots – especially in his iron play, which as area of focus for the four-time Major champion.
“I think just the iron play,” McIlroy said of where he’s focusing on improving. “I'm hitting the ball pretty good off the tee.
“Look, I see signs that the iron play is getting a little bit better, but it's just not - playing with someone like Ludvig who is completely in control of his game at the minute, yeah, I just need to get a little bit more in control, and if I do that, then I'm going to be a bit more sure of myself and make more committed swings.
“At the minute, it's just - it's a process, but I'm working at it.”
McIlroy puts mini driver in play
Although his prowess off the tee is still there, McIlroy has made a change in that department this week with the tighter surroundings of Harbour Town – putting TaylorMade’s new BRNR Mini Driver Copper in the bag.
Due to the wind, he didn’t use it as much as planned, but it’s something he’ll be putting into play a lot over the next few days.
“I hit it a little bit. I actually think I only hit it three times,” said McIlroy. “The way the wind was today out of the south means I didn't hit it - some of the holes I hit it in practice, I was hitting 5-wood off the tee and then there was a couple of holes where I hit mini in the practice round, then hit driver because the wind was into.
“But it's a great club. It's versatile. I'm sure I'll use it quite a bit over these next few days.”
